Antipasto Pasta Salad - a family fave.

This is an easy summer side that can be thrown together quickly.

Cook 8 oz medium shell pasta, and then rinse in cold water.

In a large bowl, throw together cubed salami and provolone or havarti cheese (1/2 lb each), 1-1/2 cups halved cherry tomatoes, some pitted olives, green pepper strips, sliced pimiento, artichoke hearts, or anything else that you like (banana peppers? yum!). Add pasta and combine with 1 cup of your favorite homemade or store-bought Italian salad dressing (I like Newman's Own Family Italian.) Chill before serving.

My teen boys eat this as a snack.

Dinner that made my boy go "Oh my gosh, Mom!"

PULLED PORK SANDWICHES WITH BARBECUE SAUCE (Bonnie Stern, in National Post, February 5, 2011)

Even if you don't need this much pulled pork, it makes sense to braise a whole pork shoulder (a. k.a. pork butt) because you can use the leftovers for poutine, on pasta or in grilled cheese sandwiches and macand cheese. Or freeze the leftovers for future meals. The trick to braising a pork shoulder is to cook it until it is fork tender. It can easily be made a day ahead. Ask for Canadian pork at your butchers, or look for the Canadian flag on the package at the supermarket.

Paste:

- 2 tbsp brown sugar

- 1 tbsp kosher salt

- 1 tsp each paprika, pepper and cumin

- 2 tbsp Dijon mustard

- 3 cloves garlic, minced

- 4 lb boneless pork shoulder (pork butt roast)

Cooking liquid:

- 2 cups apple juice

- ½cup maple syrup

- 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar

- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

- 6 whole cloves garlic

- 2 onions, thickly sliced

Maple barbecue sauce:

- 2 cups favourite barbecue sauce

- ½cup maple syrup

- 2 tbsp each Worcestershire sauce and apple cider vinegar

- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard

Sandwiches:

- 12 soft buns

- coleslaw (see recipe below)

- chipotle mayo (see recipe below)

- guacamole -your favourite, optional

1. Combine brown sugar, salt, paprika, pepper, cumin, mustard and garlic. Rub into roast. Marinate overnight in the refrigerator.

2. Combine apple juice, maple syrup, apple cider vinegar and Worcestershire sauce. Place garlic and onions in the bottom of a Dutch oven and set roast on top. Add liquid. Cover roast with a piece of parchment paper and then cover pan tightly. Cook in a preheated 325F/160C oven for 3 to 4 hours or longer, until pork is so tender it falls apart when pierced with a fork.

3. Meanwhile, in a saucepan whisk barbecue sauce with maple syrup, Worcestershire sauce, vinegar and mustard. Bring to a boil. Cook gently 5 minutes. Reserve.

4. When roast is ready, remove from pan. Slice thickly and chop. Combine with half the barbecue sauce, adding some of the strained cooking juices if meat is too dry. Reheat meat just before serving in a 325F oven for about 30 minutes.

5. Make sandwiches on the soft buns with meat, extra barbecue sauce, coleslaw, chipotle mayo and guacamole (if using).

Makes 12 sandwiches

CREAMY-STYLE COLESLAW

This creamy coleslaw tastes great either in a sandwich or on the side.

- 4 cups shredded green cabbage

- 1 tbsp kosher salt

- 1 carrot, grated

Dressing:

- ¾cup mayonnaise

- 1 clove garlic, minced

- 1 tbsp sugar

- 1 tbsp vinegar

- ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper or to taste

1. Make coleslaw by combining shredded cabbage with salt. Place in a colander set over a bowl, with a plate on top, pressing down on the cabbage to extract excess moisture. After about one hour, rinse cabbage and pat dry, pressing again firmly. Combine with carrots.

2. For dressing, combine mayonnaise with garlic, sugar, vinegar and pepper.

3. Combine dressing with cabbage mixture. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.

Makes 12 servings

CHIPOTLE MAYO

Chipotle chilis are smoked jalapenos -- hot and delicious. When I buy a tin of chipotles, I open it up and puree it all, transfer to a Ziploc bag, flatten the bag so that the mixture isn't too thick and freeze it. That way you can just break off any amount you need and it will defrost quickly. If the sauce is too spicy, add more mayo or some thick yogourt or sour cream. This mayo is also great on grilled chicken sandwiches or burgers.

- 1 cup mayonnaise (I like Hellman's)

- 1 tbsp chipotle chili puree or to taste

- 1 clove garlic, minced

- 1 tbsp lemon juice

1. Place mayonnaise in a bowl and stir in chipotle puree, minced garlic and lemon juice to taste. Keep in the refrigerator.

Makes 1 cup/250ml

via nationalpost.com

This is seriously good eating. It looks long and complicated, but the only things I had to buy were the pork roast and some BBQ sauce (I used Diana's traditional). Everything else I had on hand.

I made the pulled pork and chipotle mayo but decided to forgo the coleslaw for sauerkraut that we had in the fridge. I tweeted Bonnie Stern the day before to see if I could make this in my slow-cooker and she gave me the thumbs up.

It is all I can do to not take leftovers out of the fridge and scarf them down cold.  Some went (cold) in lunch bags today. And the house smelled fantastic!

Slow carb lunch

Bean medley, tuna, cilantro, lemon juice, olive oil, and cumin. A portion served with a spinach salad makes a great quick lunch!

Adventures in "slow carbs"

The 4-Hour Body: An Uncommon Guide to Rapid Fat-Loss, Incredible Sex, and Becoming Superhuman by Timothy Ferriss, author of The 4-Hour Workweek, Expanded and Updated.

Okay, you can take the title with a grain of salt, but I've been slow-carbing over the past few days and seeing very encouraging results.  The basics of the diet are what is typical in low-carb diets, minus dairy (butter is okay), plus beans, plus red wine(!).  Lots of veggies, no fruit. No grains of any colour.

I've been having one of the recommended breakfasts each morning (fried eggs on a bed of steamed spinach, topped with salsa, and coffee with cinnamon and a small amount of cream (only allowed dairy along with butter.)  I had a bit of a cheat yesterday at lunch when I was served fruit with my omelet, and had some profiteroles at a birthday party last night, but otherwise I've been true to the diet.  Oh, and the best part?  One complete binge day per week is acceptable!  Like, eat 'til you're sick if you want.  My first binge day won't be 'til next Saturday, but I don't feel incredibly guilty about those two cheats on one day this weekend. Tim wouldn't be happy, but you know, it's my gig. 

Ferriss is a very compelling writer and a big proponent of tracking stats.  On everything.  But it's not necessary to do that to reap the benefits of this plan.  In the past four days I have dropped 5.6 pounds, of which 4 pounds were fat.  ( He's also big on tracking body fat, which I am doing with a scale that (possibly not completely accurately) hands me this lovely measure.)  My body fat % is quite high, so I've got to work to get this down and low-carb approaches have always worked best for me.

On the plan for today is to make a big pot of beef and bean chili for dinners, and a cold bean salad to have in the fridge for lunch with a pile of greens.

If you're looking for a realistic (no big cooking efforts needed) low carb diet that understands why red wine is an integral part of the examined life, give it a try.  It's available as a kindle ebook as well.

I'll keep you posted!

Not just beautiful beer...

....but beautiful packaging. I first had a bottle of Beau's in Ottawa a couple of summers ago and loved it. Apparently they've been scaling up production and getting their brew across Ontario. These 600ml bottles are perfect for sharing.

Shepherd's pie....an oldie but a goodie!

Had some leftovers from our wonderful lamb dinner the other night, so put together a quick shepherds pie.  Here's my go-to method:

Hopefully, you have some leftover meat, potatoes, vegetables (or just use frozen peas and/or corn), and gravy.  

Chop and fry an onion and some garlic (there was enough garlic in the gravy from our leftovers, so I left that out this time.)  Add minced leftover meat and chopped veggies (I had some green beans and broccoli that I threw in).  Heat this up and add gravy to make a thick stew and put it in a casserole dish.  (If you don't have gravy, use a cup of beef or other broth, a tablespoon of tomato paste and 2 tbsp of flour and just throw that in instead. Season with salt and pepper and maybe some parsley.)  

Mash the potatoes if they are not already in that form, with lots of whatever makes them creamy.  I like to add some cream cheese and/or butter and/or cream plus some Lawry's seasoned salt.  Top the meat mixture with potatoes, grate some old cheddar or whatever cheese you want to use up, and pop it in a medium oven, uncovered, for twenty minutes or until the cheese has melted and the stew is bubbling up the sides.  (You can assemble this in advance and just heat it up before you're ready to eat.) 

Total comfort food!  Additional gravy to pour over the top is a bonus.

Jamie Oliver’s slow-roasted lamb shoulder

via thestar.com

Made this terrific lamb dish last night. I couldn't get lamb shoulder at my local butcher so used half a leg of lamb. It took less time to roast than the recipe, but I simply reheated it in the oven before serving.

You roast the lamb on a bed of rosemary and garlic, and then make gravy with the drippings, removing the herbs but mashing the garlic into the sauce. Adding fresh mint and red-wine vinegar gives a beautiful, rich taste. I served it with fingerling potatoes and broccoli, along with the beautiful gravy in the recipe. It was the perfect fall dinner!

Click on the link above for the recipe.

A last minute Thanksgiving.

As I do pretty much all the cooking these days (well, for the past few years), holidays really just felt like more of the same.  With teenagers who have an attention span of about 12 minutes at the dinner table, I REALLY didn't want to cook all day for a meal that lasted 20 minutes, the last 10 of which was just Z and I talking to each other.  So Thanksgiving meals have either been done really casually, or at a restaurant.  No pressure on anyone (meaning me).

Up until yesterday, I hadn't given Thanksgiving a thought.  I was planning to just kind of ad lib my way through.  Maybe we'd order in or go out for Korean Barbeque or something.  Alex was arriving home Friday night and Z and I had been busy most nights this week, and I just didn't want to plan.

I was picking up something at the pharmacy next to our local Bruno's and so I popped in to see what they had.  I spotted some beautiful stuffed and rolled turkey breasts and suddenly I felt like planning a meal.  Maybe it was taking the big bird and turning it into an elegant and easy to prepare roast, but I grabbed one of those guys and headed over to Loblaws to get the rest of the meal.

So, in half an hour, we'll be eating said stuffed turkey breast, Pioneer Woman's creamy mashed potatoes (made with 3/4 sweet potatoes), gravy, homemade cranberry sauce (how easy is THAT?), roasted asparagus, and assorted pickles, followed by a cheese plate.  For dessert, I made two pies:  an apple from fruit picked by my brother and his family, and a pumpkin made from cooked, pureed pumpkin that I froze last fall.  

We have much to be thankful, and that will be tomorrow's post.

Day One of Paleo Diet

Other than a massive headache, it went okay.

I'm not sure whether the headache was due to lack of caffeine, lack of sugar, too much Angry Birds on my iphone, or an act of God, but I couldn't make it to choir last night and only managed to watch two episodes of Weeds and one of Mad Men before retiring to the kitchen sofa with a book and promptly falling asleep.

Here's how the food portion of my day went:

Breakfast:  two scrambled eggs, two mini cucumbers, two large black plums, tea with honey

Snack: almonds

Lunch: tuna salad with real mayo (no dairy) and pickle relish, two plums, two mini cucumbers

Snack:  cashews and raisins

Cocktail:  arak with water

Dinner:  large spicy sausage with mustard, steamed broccoli with dijon-honey dressing, strawberries, two plums, plain tea

Snack: mixed nuts

My digestive system has felt a bit wonky, but better this morning.

I also decided that I'd make coffee and drink it black, because I have a meeting this afternoon and didn't want to risk another headache.  I actually quite enjoyed the coffee and realised that I'm not ready to give it up, even without cream. 

This morning, I made a mushroom and two-egg omelette, and had an orange and two cups of java.  Larabars look suitable for the diet, so I'm going to start carrying a couple in my bag for those times I need to eat and suitable fare isn't available.  And a bag of plain, raw almonds.

I'm off to Canadians Connected 2010 this afternoon down at the Westin Harbor Castle.  It's a Symposium and the AGM for CIRA (Canadian Internet Registration Authority), of which I am a member, owning a couple of .ca domains. Terry O'Reilly and Mitch Joel are two of the speakers and it should be an interesting afternoon. Hashtag is #cira2010 for those of you on twitter and interested.

I need to shock my system

I have been incredibly lethargic these past few weeks, probably a combination of stress/grief/anxiety....and unbridled consumption coupled with not-so-much exercise.  I had the old "I'll just cut back on portion sizes" talk with myself, but apparently I wasn't listening.

A random tweet crossed my iphone this evening that took me to this blog post, and I found myself thinking that this might be the ticket.  Something to try for a month and see how I feel.  The Paleo Diet.  Lean meat, seafood, fruit, vegetables, nuts, seeds. (Or maybe not seeds.  TBD.)  No added salt.  Honey or maple syrup for sweetening. No dairy (cheese!  coffee cream!). No grains (bread! pasta! rice! cookies!).  

Now you medical people amongst my friends and family are probably shaking your heads in dismay, but if I'm able to drop some weight and feel better in apparently many potential ways, I think it will be worth a try.  My main issue will be cooking for my men, but I'll just have to do the layered thing that I did when the boys were toddlers, except that I'll be the one not eating some of the food. 

I start tomorrow.  

I am strangely drawn to this watermelon salad ...

Watermelon Salad

(adapted from Paula Deen)

• 8 cups cubed watermelon
• 1 small Vidalia or other sweet mild onion thinly sliced
• 1/8 cup red wine vinegar
• Kosher salt and pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint
• 2 - 4 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
• mint sprigs for garnish

Directions

In a small bowl, combine the vinegar, salt, pepper, and whisk until salt is dissolved. Slowly whisk in the olive oil. Add in the chopped mint, taste, and adjust seasonings.

In a large bowl, combine the melon, onion, and feta. Pour the dressing over the melon mixture and toss gently until everything is coated and evenly mixed. Garnish with mint sprigs.

via skiptomylou.org

I love this blog (link above). Lots of great ideas for handmade and homemade things in all categories.

I'm going to make this salad when my sweetie returns from his sad trip to Paris. Just the ticket for a warm, summer Sunday.

Turkish Bagels

For a change of pace from Bagel House, our local 24/7 source of Montreal-style carb goodness, we sometimes pick some of these babies up from Istanbul, a little shop in a strip mall at Dufferin St and Orfus Rd.

Seven Quick Takes Friday

--1--

Have I mentioned how much I love my Kindle?  I have?  I've now carried it with me about town, on the subway, into cafes, and have totally loved the freedom to have a bunch of books with me wherever I go.  I like that I can increase the font size when I want to lay it on a table while eating, and that I have a choice of books for every mood.  One of my friends asked me to bring it with me on our outing yesterday so she could see it, and I may have a couple of converts.  I'll never totally give up paper-based books (Toronto has one of the best library systems in the world), but it's making reading very pleasurable nonetheless.

--2--

Am reading (on my Kindle) The Shallows: What the Internet is Doing to our Brains by Nicholas Carr. I'm currently enjoying the section on neuroplasticity, the idea that our brain can change depending on the experiences/tasks/trauma it undergoes. Carr and I have had a similar history with computers and the internet, and similar feelings of loss of the ability to concentrate for extended periods of time. A snippet:

At first I'd figured that the problem was a symptom of middle-age mind rot.  But my brain, I realized, wasn't just drifting.  It was hungry.  It was demanding to be fed the way the Net fed it -- and the more it was fed, the hungrier it became.  When when I was away from my computer, I yearned to check e-mail, click links, do some Googling.  I wanted to be connected.  Just as Microsoft Word had turned me into a flesh and blood word processor, the Internet, I sensed, was turning me into something like a high-speed data-processing machine, a human HAL.
I missed my old brain. 

--3--

I am working on my third course through the Institute of Genealogical Studies, the second Methodology course called Organizing and Skill-Building.  I've been creating numbering systems and binders for each of the families associated with my four grandparents.  It feels great to get my stacks of paperwork and documents organized, and my next step is to try to make some headway with a Rubbermaid bin of photographs.  I'm also hoping to do more genalogical blogging, and possibly set up a separate site for those posts.

--4--

My summer choir program is coming together nicely.  We have a concert scheduled for August 15th at a Marian Shrine in west Toronto. The music is lovely, is a workout for the brain and the voice, and I leave rehearsals feeling calm and happy.  Almost meditative.  I've met some very nice people and have enjoyed it very much.  I may decide to stay on in the fall if I can get the okay to skip the last Monday of each month for the Toronto Branch (OGS) meetings.

--5--

Michael has been working on both his tuba and bass trombone this summer.  He's taking lessons on both from two excellent (and very different) teachers.  He's getting ready for music camp at the end of the summer (jazz camp on trombone) and the three music courses he'll be taking in the fall.  He's hoping to be in the Junior Concert Band, Junior Orchestra, and Junior Stage Band this year as well as a vocal ensemble, so he'll be a busy boy.  He's also planning to audition for a couple of community bands with the hope of getting some more playing.  I'm just thrilled that he's enjoying music so much as I know how much pleasure it's brought me over the years.

--6--

Made a very tasty quinoa salad this week.  Will definitely make it again, possibly adding more parsley and/or cilantro to green it up a bit.  Keeps quite well in the fridge for a couple of days.

--7--

We said goodbye to our niece, Magali, on Wednesday.  She came to Canada from France 2-1/2 years ago to work for Danone in Montreal and is returning to work for their Evian division.  She frequently came to Toronto on business, so we saw her every couple of months.  It was great getting to know her better, and having her relatively close to us here in Canada.  She leaves Montreal on Sunday, will have a few days in Paris to relax, and then will start apartment hunting in Evian. We wish her the best!
Here's a little memory of Canada for her...the visit to Niagara Falls on an incredibly cold day two winters ago! 

Visit our host Jennifer at Conversion Diary for more Quick Takes!

Must see: The Warrior Emperor and China's Terracotta Army.

I had a lovely day out with two friends.  We met at the Royal Ontario Museum to take in the Terracotta Warrior exhibit, here from China.  These artifacts are from the Qin dynasty, and include some of the full-sized sculptures of warriors, administrators, and horses.  It's the first exhibit of these items in North America and it's very impressive. Zouheir had the privilege of seeing them in the original site of their discovery when he was in China last year, and so I was happy to see the exhibit here in Toronto with friends.  We spent a couple of hours at the exhibit.  The documentation was excellent: a mix of text, photographs, maps, and video commentary that added to the excitement of seeing these ancient artifacts. 

At noon, we went upstairs to C5 for lunch, the elegant restaurant added to the ROM during the renovation.  On the top floor, it has lovely views to the south and west of Toronto, including a new garden/green roof that was added since I was there last.  While still relatively young, it provides a respite from what was a rather "industrial" view of the adjoining rooftop.

We all chose the special Terracotta Warrior menu (pdf), starting with a hot and sour egg drop soup, a choice of two entrees (Duck Confit or Tong Mein Noodles), and then a fabulous puff pastry with mango puree, fresh fruit, and sesame ice cream.

The exhibit is a must-see, and is on until early in 2011.  With the wonderful conversation and a delicious lunch, we're making plans for another outing next month.

This is so wrong, it has to be right....Loaded S'mores Pizza

via loblaws.ca

Click on the link if you want the "nutrition" info. Available in Canada at Loblaws.

Seven Quick Takes Friday

 

Welcome to visitors from Conversion Diary and Company Girls.

1. Z and I went to the preview of Cooking With Stella last night, courtesy of Mika at Good Egg who tweeted an offer for a double pass.  Dilip Mehta, the director and co-screenwriter was there and took questions at the end of the film.  Before the screening, Mehta suggested we look at it only as a comedy.  I didn't understand what he meant until afterwards.  The film addresses the relationship between employers (in this case diplomats living in the Canadian compound in Delhi) and servants (the Indian staff), and is a look at the discomfort that can arise for both parties, as well as the various "businesses" that the cook runs given her access to duty free goods and the apparent wealth of her employers.  It stars the most fetching Don McKellar .  You can view the trailer here. 

2. Tuesday afternoon, our hot water tank went.  I was trying to do some dishes and the water wouldn't get hot.  It's a rental tank from our local gas company, so I got on the horn and, after looking at our file, they determined that the tank was 18 years old.  At that point, they just decided to send out a replacement tank, which came the next day.  I have no idea if it will be more energy efficient, but I'm hoping so.  I guess we'll be able to tell from our gas bills, to some extent.  I also very much need to replace our washer and dryer.

3. Last Sunday, we picked up some flowers for my aunt's birthday and bought ourselves a pot of spring bulbs at the same time.  It's wonderful to have that little blast of living colour in our kitchen.  I used to always have some fresh flowers around, but have gotten out of the habit since we've been back in Toronto.  I think I'll pick it up again because they are really refreshing.

4. I read an extremely compelling piece yesterday at a new-to-me blog called Exile Lifestyle.  The author talks about undertaking short (a few months) experiments with lifestyle to push him in new directions and encourage positive habits.  For example, (and I really encourage you to read his whole post), he did a period of no TV.  A period of no black clothing.  An experiment with no new paper products (except for some personal-hygiene related ones and his notebook.)  Z and I talked about this last night, about some experiments we might try individually and together.   More to come on this one, I'm sure.

5. Does anyone else have an issue with the shortform for microphone?  "mic"  It just doesn't work for me.  It should be "mike".  

6. I "made" a loaf of bread last night, that is, I loaded up the breadmaker and set the timer for fresh bread this morning.  I do this every two days or so.  I was having a glass of limoncello at the same time, having just returned from Cooking With Stella and dinner at the Bloor Street Diner.  This morning, it didn't smell like it usually does, and I couldn't see the bread through the window in the machine.  I had forgotten to put the paddles back into the pan and the bread didn't mix,  It just baked itself into the pan in a big floury lump.  Now I'm just waiting for it to cool down enough so that I can dump it into the compost.  No sandwich for my sweetie's lunch today.

7. Spent a couple of hours in the Kensington Market area with Michael yesterday afternoon.  We had just picked up his tuba from Long and McQuade where it was in for repair, and were heading to Good Egg on Augusta to get my movie passes.  I had assumed Michael had been to Kensington as he spends quite a bit of time in Chinatown with his friends from Japanese class, and it's just a little north of there.  But it was all new to him, a bit of a wonderland of cheesy discount shops, produce markets, funky shops and restos.  He found a Point Zero sweater at 50% off and I picked up a couple of scarves at Zimmerman's Discount, where Mr. Zimmerman told him to come back often as there are lots of nice-looking girls in the area.   It was a gorgeous day, and MIchael is a 15yo kid who doesn't mind hanging with his mom, so it was all good!  

 

Melon Balls all 'round for St. Paddy's Day!

via midori-world.com

Forget green beer. Our beverage of choice for today has to be the Melon Ball.

Mix melon liqueur and vodka (2:1) and top with pineapple juice over ice.

Bottom's up!

From Evernote:

Chocolate Martini Clipped from: http://youknowthatblog.com/

First, the cocktail. I am very partial to the Chocolate Martini made with Godiva Chocolate liqueur, and it is made thusly:

1 1/2 shots Godiva® chocolate liqueur
1 1/2 shots creme de cacao
1/2 shot vodka
2 1/2 shots half-and-half

Mix all ingredients in a shaker with ice, shake and pour into a chilled cocktail glass.

Posted via email from Domestic Bliss

Chocolate Martini

A little something from the Evernote archives, as I get used to this new way of posting!

Clipped from: http://youknowthatblog.com/

First, the cocktail. I am very partial to the Chocolate Martini made with Godiva Chocolate liqueur, and it is made thusly:

1 1/2 shots Godiva® chocolate liqueur
1 1/2 shots creme de cacao
1/2 shot vodka
2 1/2 shots half-and-half

Mix all ingredients in a shaker with ice, shake and pour into a chilled cocktail glass.

Menu Plan Monday

This is kind of a cheater week to get back to weekly menu planning, but it's a start!

Monday:  Mama's Potato and Mini Burger Bake (a layered casserole of onions, thinly sliced potatoes, spicy mini hamburgers, and canned tomatoes

Tuesday:  Lentil soup and grilled cheese sandwiches.

Wednesday:  Cheesy tuna casserole.

Thursday: Out for Dim Sum to celebrate Michael's birthday.

Friday:  Out before David Clayton-Thomas concert.

Saturday: Spinach salad with sliced hard boiled eggs and bean sprouts.  (We will have just returned from a parish wine and cheese reception and won't want to eat much!)

Sunday: Out for Valentine's Day.

Visit Laura over at Org Junkie to get some ideas for your weekly plan!